- Discord released a major update for Linux users
- Game and screen sharing have been improved with hardware-accelerated video encoding now supported through Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs.
- It comes as users remain frustrated with global age verification plans.
Discord on Linux, especially on Steam Deck or SteamOS handhelds, has been plagued with functionality issues, and a new update has finally fixed them – but users aren’t buying it.
As reported by TweakTown, Discord announced a major new update for Linux in a video titled “The Year of the Linux Desktop,” bringing significant improvements to game (or screen) capturing capabilities, including smaller updates to notifications and game detection.
Notably, hardware-accelerated video encoding is now supported on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel GPUs for Discord, for better video quality without a downside to game performance.
Discord will also capture games using Vulkan or Valve’s Gamescope, and that’s great news for devices like the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS, as more system resources can be used on games, improving performance and battery life when streaming to friends.
Look on it
This is all very well and good in the eyes of Linux Discord users, and it’s even joined the year of the Linux desktop meme (basically the hope that Linux will surpass Windows) – and sure, this update definitely took a step closer to that, but it’s not enough to convince fans.
Instead, comments on the video align with users declaring it to be “age verification,” criticizing Discord for its global age verification plans, which are still scheduled for late 2026.
This major Linux update arrives around the same time as the Discord and Xbox collaboration, which gives Nitro users access to a starter edition of Xbox Game Pass. It seems like Discord is doing its best to soften the blow of its controversial decision, but it’s clear that users aren’t ready to let the age verification issues go.
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